THE OOLOaidT 



121 



time no birds were killed, nor was 

 reproduction checked one iota! 



I dare say that all the egg collec- 

 tions in the world contain less than 

 5,000 eggs of the Chimney Swift, pos- 

 sibly less than half that number; but 

 get the lesson, now, from the slaugh- 

 ter of possibly 100 of these Waynes- 

 boro, Virginia, Chimney Swifts, on 

 May 21st, 1902, and grant me the ad- 

 ditional space in THE OOLOGIST 

 to fhow the appalling figures for all 

 who read may know what happesn 

 when any num'ber of birds are ki'led: 



1902, Had these 100 swifts been 

 spared, they would have raised 

 three young to the pair (the 

 Chimney Swift lays four or five 

 eggs), 150 offspring totaling 

 with the old birds, 250 indi- 

 viduals. Allowing 25 per cent 

 for natural loss by the next 

 breeding season, 



1903 would see 188 birds return, or 

 94 pairs to bring out 282 young, 

 totaling with the old birds, 470 

 all told. Continuing the 25 

 per cent loss to old and young, 

 would bring to 



1904, 353 birds, 176 pairs to raise 

 529 birds, which with the old 

 ones would total 881 individ- 

 uals to lose 25 per cent of 

 numbers in twelve months 

 would bring to 



1905, 661 birds or 330 pairs, to raise 

 990 young, or a grand total of 

 1715 to lose 25 per cent of num- 

 bers and bring in 



1906, 1313 birds, 656 pairs for rear- 

 ing, if left to reproduce, 1968 

 young, totaling with the old 

 birds, 3281 individuals to lose 

 25 per cent by their next re- 

 turn would find in 



1907, 2461 birds or 1230 pairs rear- 

 ing 3690 young. Both old and 

 young to lose the regulation 25 

 per cent of numbers on their 

 return in 



1908, 4,514 birds, or 2,228 pairs, 

 raising 6,684 nestlings, all to 

 lose 25 per cent of numbers 

 would leave for 



1909, 8,399 birds, pairing at 4,194, 

 and rearing 12,582 young. All 

 to lose the 25 per cent of num- 



bers on their return in 



1910, 15,520 birds, 7,760 pairs, with 

 at the end of the season, 23,280 

 young, totaling with the old 

 ones, 38,800 birds, all to lose 

 the 25 percentage of numbers, 

 would bring North in 



1911, 29,100 birds, 14,550 pairs with 

 broods, at the end of season, 

 numbering 43,650 nestlings, 

 which with the old birds losing 

 25 per centage of numbers 

 would find in 



1912, 54,413 birds or 27,206 pairs to 

 nest in the chimneys and bring 

 out 81,618 young, all with the 

 old ones to lose 25 per cent 

 of flock, would leave for 



1913, 102,024 birds, 51,012 pairs, 

 feeding upon injurious insects 

 infesting Vfirginia, and bring- 

 ing out broods numbering 153,- 

 036 young birds to be fed upon 

 the same pests until all, with 

 the old, leave for the South 

 in September. After deduct- 

 in:? 25 per cent of their num- 

 bers during this sojourn, they 

 return to Virginia in 



1914, 191,295 strong to wiage war 

 upon the billions of mosquitoes 

 and other pests, until the 95,- 

 647 pairs rear their 286,941 

 young for aiding Virginians in 

 waging war upon crop pests. 

 After which, if they escape 

 from such maudlins as posed 

 in "best society" item in the 

 "Dispatch", they will lose 25 

 per cent of their numbers and 

 return in 



1915, a flock of 358,687 birds pairing 

 at 179,343, and eventually rear- 

 ing 581,029 young; all together 

 with the old ones to lose 25 per 

 cent of numbers before return- 

 ing in 



1916, 672,587 birds, or 336,293 pairs, 

 rearing 998,879 offspring, with 

 the stated loss for both young 

 and old, of 25 per cent, in 



1917, 1,253,601 birds in 626,880 pairs 

 would crowd the chimneys of 

 "Ole Virginia" for rearing 1,- 

 880,400 young; and woe unto 

 the mosquitoes of the Great 

 Dismal Swamp, if this could 

 happen and the hordes of Chim- 

 ney Swallows, thus denied ex- 

 istence, be turned loose in that 

 quarter, in the next year, 



